Time to Die
by Polydicta
Summary: The battle has gone ill. Just the moments before the end of the war. Character Death.


**Time to Die**

by Polydicta

**Summary:**

The battle has gone ill. Just the moments before the end of the war.

**Disclaimer: **

All fiction is derivative and fan fiction doubly so. I make no claim to own any part of any of the following, all I have done is an attempt to put together the elements in a novel fashion, using words and ideas like Lego ™ bricks.

There is no money involved – all I do is to share what I do for my own amusement.

_The quotation (Roy Batty's last words to Deckert) is from Blade Runner (1982). _

_Blade Runner by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Based on the story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick. Warner Brothers._

-::::::::-

**Time to Die**

**.**

_The battle had gone ill. There was almost no one left fighting. There were precious few left to fight. Harry had seen them mown down by the death eaters. He had seen Ginny die and then Ron. Neville, Luna, the rest of the Weasleys. McGonagall had died defending a group of first years, then Hagrid had died defending them with his body. Flitwick was gone and so was Madam Pomfrey._

_Even the school's house elves had fought and died._

_The strength had left Harry when he saw Hermione mown down by the same curse as had reached her in the Department of Mysteries. Harry had slaughtered the Death Eaters surrounding her and gone to her._

_Holding her as she breathed her last words, his tears fell on her upturned face._

_"H … Harry? I … I … don't want to die…"_

_"Nor do I, Love. Nor do I."_

_An agonised smile crossed her lips. "I … need to … tell you. I …I … love you …"_

_Harry kissed her bloody lips._

_"And I love you. I always did. It was always you."_

_She smiled. "I … know. Re … remember … me."_

_"I shall, my love. Wait for me?"_

_"Harry …"_

_Her spirit fled and Harry felt the last of his will to live go with it._

.

"Harry Potter … how many times do I have to kill you?"

"Just once more, Tom. Just once more."

Harry looked into Voldemort's eyes, the face of a man hang-gliding over hell.

"I told you that you're a fool, Harry Potter, and I was right. I told you that you would die, and you will."

"Yes Tom, I will die. I already have, I just haven't stopped breathing yet… You of all people know how breathing is difficult to give up."

"So, Harry, which curse is claiming your life? Certainly a slow one."

"Not so slow, Tom. Not so slow. It's a curse that you will never know, and I feel sorry for you."

"Oh, we're back on that are we, well … _avadra kavadra_!"

The curse hit Harry, but he never moved, he continued to kneel with Hermione's head on his lap.

"It doesn't work, Tom. Not on someone already dead …"

Harry's eyes lost their focus, and he was obviously inside his own memories.

Memories of a brief respite from the war at Easter, a few weeks earlier, a trip to the cinema.

Memories of seeing an action film with Hermione, she had insisted that the story was important, somehow. It had touched Harry deeply. The ending, in particular.

He looked down at Hermione's lifeless form. He wasn't aware of speaking.

"I don't want to die, but today I no longer want to live. I lived in fear all of my life, but no more. The worst has happened, and it too will pass.

"_It's quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave_."

There was a pause.

"My life has been a series of moments. The good and the bad. The beauty and the horror. And the lost moments of love, of life and of beauty. Especially of love and beauty.

"_I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the darkness at Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain … Time to die._"

Harry's muscles relaxed in death and Voldemort thought he saw a bird fly up. A white bird.

Voldemort screamed, "where is Tannhäuser Gate? What is the shoulder of Orion? What prophesy is this … ?"

But there was no answer. Voldemort was alone. Nothing moved on the field of battle.

Voldemort fell to his knees, lost and afraid. He knew that Harry had embraced death. Harry had known how to die whilst Tom Riddle never knew how to live.

.

Sudden clouds and a bolt of lightning ended Voldemort's war forever, and when the rains came they washed the blood and the tears from the earthly remains of the true victor, kneeling, and his lady with her head in his lap.


End file.
